By Dan Kennedy • The press, politics, technology, culture and other passions

Steel-cage death match of the #mapoli political emails

Screen Shot 2015-08-24 at 9.16.36 AMPolitico this morning debuts its Massachusetts Playbook, compiled by Lauren Dezenski, most recently of the Dorchester Reporter. It’s a newsy round-up of the state political scene that aggregates from a variety of sources, including The Boston Globe and, of course, Politico.

Screen Shot 2015-08-24 at 9.16.50 AMMassachusetts Playbook competes directly with the Globe’s Political Happy Hour, Joshua Miller’s late-afternoon update. Miller is leaving the field to Dezenski this week, as he’s going on vacation. As David Bernstein notes, the timing is odd, though I suppose no one’s around this week except me (and you, of course).

If I may offer a flash judgment on the basis of exactly one Dezenskigram, I’d say she aims to be a little more comprehensive, as befits a morning briefing. Miller is more selective and takes a lighter tone. Massachusetts Playbook seems aimed at #mapoli types trying to catch up quickly before beginning their day, whereas Happy Hour feels more like something you read on your evening commute (which I often do).

Is there room for both? This may well be the most politically aware state in the country. So sure, why not?

More: Two lower profile but valuable #mapoli political emails I should not have omitted: The Download, from CommonWealth Magazine, and MASSterList.

Also published at WGBHNews.org.

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8 Comments

  1. Ken Rowland

    Geez Louise Professor! Interesting blog post, but really? “Is there room for both? This may well be the most politically aware state in the country. So sure, why not?” Is the latter half of that parochial opinion from an out-of-state Quinnipiac Poll or just a ‘from-the-gut’, Hub-of-the-Universe journalism academician? We’ll give you the contextual ‘may well be’ for wiggle-room, and of course the bubbling buoyancy of blogosphere blessings for the Boston-based blinders. GO Boston2024!

    • Dan Kennedy

      @Ken: We’re the best at everything. There is considerable data to support that.

      • Andy Koppel

        Everything? I hope your tongue is embedded deeply in cheek. Journalism? Theater? Mass transit? Museums? Restaurants? Boston is great, but the only activity it is truly best at is balancing provincialism with aspirations to cosmopolitanism.

        • Dan Kennedy

          @Andy: As we learned this afternoon, we also still have the best cost overruns on public infrastructure projects.

      • Ken Rowland

        YES, we are quite extraordinary here… in the Flatlands. Why, up-upon Hampton Beach, NH this very day (or yesterday) the foggy-coast besmirched “Nipple Day”. So there! Compare THAT to a $1 billion+ overreach in MBTA expansion to Somerville, Meffid, points north. Who is the bigger loser here? THIS is why we have an overpaid City Council; to avoid such calamities! Which calamity? Take one’s pick…

  2. Todd Wallack

    Smart take. I also wonder whether the newsletters also compete with MassterList (another morning roundup written by former BBJ editor George Donnelly) and Commonwealth Magazine’s daily newsletter (Daily Download).

    Just my own curiosity.

    Sent from iPhone

    >

  3. taxman10m

    There’s also the MAggregator that updates throughout the day.
    http://red.ma.altercate.net/maggregator/

  4. Patrick Johnson

    There’s also the MAggregtor that updates throughout the day.
    http://red.ma.altercate.net/maggregator/

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